Frugality fatigue in difficult economic times

Years of constant economic hardship – at the government level, the work level and in the household – can lead to frugality fatigue for many. American newspapers are reporting a rise in the use of the phrase ‘frugality fatigue’ and in the phenomenon.

Frugality fatigue is defined as mental exhaustion caused by constant frugality during hard economic times. Ongoing extreme budgeting, where every cent is accounted for and every purchase undergoes intense scrutiny and rationale, is wearying, leading to further stress and tension, family arguments, and feelings of gloom and despair. People are tired of not being able to buy anything without justification.

The phrase appears to have been first used in 2004 in an article by Mark Dolliver for Adweek on March 22, entitled “Saving Us from Food, the Big Picture, Etc” in which he states: “Having at least tried to restrain their spending since the recession hit three years ago, some consumers likely have developed a case of frugality fatigue”.

To me, this is highly plausible. Low-cost luxury items, such as lipstick and after-shave have increased sales. Budget local holidays are selling better than high-end international vacations, especially for families. And people are shopping for items of higher quality that will endure time, rather than low-quality items that will break, crack, stretch, or fade. Pre-loved second-hand items on ebay and in garage sales continue to sell well too. I’ve even noticed the higher frequency of people scouring through product rankings, reviews, referrals and customer feedback than in the past, in order to ensure that the goods or services they intend to purchase have a high customer rating.

With four sisters, we’ve been swapping clothes and goods since we were six years old. And as teenagers we loved shopping in op-shops for pre-loved and vintage clothes. Not always because we had to be frugal, but because we enjoyed it. These frugal habits were part of our growing up and, for the most part, they will continue even when the economy is prosperous. I'm a life member of Fairshare International (http://fairshareinternational.org/) which proposes the 5.10.5.10 principles:

5 - Redistributing at least 5% of your gross annual income to programs that provide direct assistance to financially disadvantaged individuals, families and communities and/or for the care of the natural environment.

10 - Reducing your use of water, energy and minerals by at least 10% and sustaining reduced consumption.

5 - Building community through contributing at least 5% of your leisure time annually in direct, face to face assistance to people in your neighbourhood who are tackling social or environmental challenges.

10 - Taking significant democratic action at least ten times a year to correct practices associated with greed and injustice that hurt people and the environment.

Living frugally forever is about living ethically and sustainably and reducing personal consumerism (of water, energy, money and minerals) and caring for the natural environment (flora and fauna). It's not about having to be frugal, but about wanting to reduce personal waste.

I think frugality fatigue is a wider issue, when economic control comes from the government level and is endemic, affecting access to social services, the closure of small and family businesses, human resource down-sizing by workforces, high unemployment, high under-employment, and the ongoing use of contractual or part-time workers over permanent or full-time staff. In such dire economic times across a whole nation, and globally, people become psychologically and financially ground-down. It’s no wonder that with any sign of an economic up-turn, people will splurge on anything that, to them, gives them a feeling of financial freedom and a psychological lift, even if it is temporary, sporadic, and fleeting.